Building Elysium
by liketolaugh
Summary: In the end, the Holy War resolves without any further bloodshed. That doesn't mean there aren't any problems. (In the aftermath of everything, the Noah Clan and the exorcists try to coexist. It's hard.)
1. Twilight Dreams

**A/N: Hi, guys! *bright smile* So I'm starting up a new series, but it'll probably be mostly oneshots so I'm doing it like this. Also, I recently opened up commissions, which is how this piece came about - the information is on my Tumblr if you're interested. Meanwhile, enjoy _this._ *grin***

 **Title: Twilight Dreams**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: T**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Friendship/Angst**

 **Warnings: AU ending**

 **Summary: The first night in the Ark is as hard as the first day was, and Allen is just tired. But the Noah want this to go well as much as the exorcists do, and they're trying. Really.**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.**

* * *

It was almost a relief, to step out into the Ark and not feel a connection with everything around him. It let him feel more like himself.

The first day on the Ark had been challenging for everyone. The pull of a place to call home was alluring enough for almost all the exorcists to agree, but it couldn't banish years of fear and resentment, and conversation had, all around, been stilted and forced.

A willingness to try didn't make peacemaking easy.

Despite having many of the same hang-ups as his friends, Allen, half-combined with Neah, had been the one who put the most into keeping everyone calm and civil, going back and forth and easing tensions whenever it looked like they were heading into a fight (and at the same time avoiding the Earl with everything he had, because _God,_ he wasn't ready for that yet). Meanwhile, Johnny had been doing his level best to talk to all of the Noah at once – nervous, but determined not to let that stop him.

Johnny was asleep now, as he should be. Allen, by contrast, while exhausted from the previous day's trials, couldn't bring himself to sleep for more than a few hours at a time.

He'd had nightmares half his life, but here, in this foreign place, surrounded by people who had once been enemies, they seemed especially bad. He hoped he got over that soon.

Despite not knowing for sure, Allen wasn't surprised to turn a corner into a 'park' and find some of his friends seated around a fountain. Lenalee was half-asleep, leaning against Kanda and jerking awake every few seconds, exhausted but unwilling to sleep. Kanda was leaning back, eyes shut, scowling slightly. Both of them were sitting on a dark bench, surrounded by strange not-quite-real flowers and a single bare tree, while Lavi sat on the edge of the fountain, uncharacteristically quiet, swirling one hand absently in the water.

"Evening, beansprout," Lavi said when he noticed him, the forced cheer in his voice drawing the attention of both Kanda, who opened his eyes, and Lenalee, who sat up, rubbing at her face sleepily. Lavi grinned at Allen, and Allen politely ignored the shadow in his single green eye. "Looks like we're having a party tonight, eh?"

"No fucking parties," Kanda snapped irritably, shaking his head like a dog. His hair was out of its customary ponytail, spread haphazardly across his shoulders and in his face.

"He's joking, Kanda," Lenalee yawned, and then smiled wanly at Allen, pushing herself upright. "I guess we're all feeling a little unsettled tonight, huh?"

Allen let his smile fall, and he sighed and sat down on the ground by the fountain.

"It's the first night," he offered, trying to sound upbeat. "There were bound to be some problems. We'll get used to it soon, I'm sure."

"Don't pull that shit here, beansprout," Kanda grumbled, brushing his hair out of his face impatiently. "Not when we know _exactly_ what kind of bullshit it is."

Allen started to say something, to protest, but the words caught in his throat and he was just… tired. So instead he sighed again, leaned back against the fountain, and closed his eyes again. "Yeah. Okay."

There was a short moment of silence. Lavi coughed.

"Y'know, this isn't the way I thought things would turn out. Before. I mean, all things considered-"

"Lavi," Lenalee cut him off, sounding almost as tired as Allen. Lavi fell silent.

In the ensuing quiet, Allen let the sounds of the night wash over him. In the Ark, there weren't very many, but there were some. There was the bubble of the fountain behind him, the swish and swirl of Lavi waving his hand through the water, the hum of the Ark itself, and-

Someone was approaching, with steps light enough that it was either Timothy, or-

"Now, now, what are you four doing out so late?"

Road's teasing voice goaded Allen into opening his eyes again, and he looked over to see Road striding over to them, a soft, lightly mischievous smile on her face that was belied by the subtle darkness in her gold eyes.

He pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the fountain beside Lavi and offered the girl a polite smile. "Good evening, Road."

"More like good night," she teased, casting her gaze across the four of them, visibly interested. Then she refocused on him, widened her smile, and, before he could react, threw herself forward and latched onto his arm, barely keeping from pulling them both into the fountain as he yelped. "It's not good to be up so late, you know!" She pouted at him. "Things could _happen."_

That was the wrong thing to say; Lenalee half-flinched, scooting away from Kanda, now fully awake, the heel of her foot grinding anxiously against the ground. Kanda's hand twitched toward his sword, ever-present even now, and Lavi started, so subtly Allen might not have noticed if he hadn't been looking, his hand making a false motion toward his hip.

Road's smile fell, and she tacked on, leaning against Allen, "Little boys and girls need sleep."

"Yeah, and if you didn't notice, that means you a _fuckton_ more than it means us," Kanda snapped harshly, fist clenching. "So why don't you just _run the fuck along-"_

"What Kanda means-" Allen interrupted, giving Road a slightly strained smile, "is that we'll be fine. We know how to take care of ourselves, Road, don't worry. You can go to bed if you like." _Please go to bed,_ he didn't say.

There was another brief moment of silence, and then Road snuggled comfortably into Allen. "No, I think I'm fine where I am," she said lightly. So quiet that Allen thought he was the only one who heard it, she added, "I'm the Noah of Dreams, Allen. Do you think I don't know when someone has a nightmare?"

Before Allen could come up with a reply to that, he noticed another Noah approaching, and looked up to see Wisely, just rounding a corner to meet them, hands clasped casually behind his back and gaze on them.

"Lots of people up and around tonight," he commented mildly, coming to stop by the bench, still standing, with his gaze sweeping over them impassively. "One would almost think you weren't comfortable here."

Kanda bristled, fist clenching so hard it shook. But not even Kanda would risk the peace they'd sought for so long – and the Noah knew it, too.

Wisely took them in for a moment, and then he sighed, relaxing. Allen bit the inside of his cheek, anxiously wondering what kind of decision the other white-haired boy had come to, and then suppressed a flinch when Wisely winked at him.

Of course, Wisely could read minds. Allen would just have to get used to not being quite so unreadable.

Not for the first time, he wondered if this really had been a good idea, after all.

"Change is hard," Wisely said at last, stepping back to lean against the tree, a respectful distance from even Lenalee and Kanda, who were closest to him. His arms were crossed, and his brief smile had vanished, but he didn't look identifiably angry or even irate, either. "We're all adjusting." His gaze lingered briefly on Road, and Road's arms tightened around Allen's. Allen didn't look down to see what kind of expression she was wearing, but he did see Lavi straighten up in interest. "No one will blame you for it."

"I would hope not," Lenalee replied, quiet but sharp. Allen thought for a moment that she would say more, but instead her head dropped, her fists clenched, and her heel ground once more against the pavement.

Wisely was silent for a moment, and then he nodded.

"For what it's worth," he said at last, and he was looking at Kanda now, "I'm sorry."

For a moment, Kanda looked like he'd swallowed a lemon, and then a ferocious scowl ripped across his face. When he spoke, his voice was so rough as to be almost animalistic. _"Fuck. Off."_

Wisely didn't look especially surprised by that. For a moment, Allen thought that Kanda was going to stand up and leave, but he glanced at Lenalee, and then at Allen and then Lavi, with his gaze lingering on Road as well, and visibly made the decision not to.

Road tugged on Allen's arm and, when he looked down at her, murmured, "Wisely wants this to work, too."

It was half-encouraging, Allen thought, and smiled at her ruefully. She smiled back, and then let go, pushing off to linger in the air, flat on her stomach a foot or two above their heads, feet up and bobbing behind her.

Kanda scowled briefly at her, too, and when Lavi laughed, it sounded a little forced.

"That must be fun," was Lavi's comment, grinning up at Road, green eye too bright. "Flying whenever you like."

Road smiled at him and did a roll in the air and then something like a somersault, ending up almost right beside Lavi, who did a good job of not flinching in surprise. "It is," she agreed cheerfully. "It's one of my favorite things about my powers."

Allen half-smiled, and then looked over and met Lenalee's eyes. She swallowed, managed a smile of her own, and offered, "Flying is my favorite thing about my Boots, too. I feel so free when I'm in the air."

Road rolled over so she was on her back and smiled at Lenalee upside-down. "Maybe we could go flying sometime," she said cheerfully.

"Yeah, maybe," Lenalee agreed softly.

"Hey, cheating boy, why wasn't I invited to this party?"

Tyki and Sheryl rounded the corner, one after the other, and Allen briefly wondered if they'd unintentionally sent up a beacon at some point. _Traumatized exorcists here. Not in the mood for talking. Please approach._

Wisely glanced up and commented mildly, "The Earl should have known that I would notice our absent exorcists long before he did."

Tyki waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, you know how he is. He was worried."

"As he should be," Sheryl added sternly, wagging a finger at the assembled parties. "It's three in the morning and you should _all_ be asleep." He huffed. "Especially you, my darling Road – you need your sleep!"

Was it? Allen hadn't bothered to check. He almost laughed.

"But _Daddy,"_ Road pouted, spinning back onto her stomach and dropping her chin onto her hands. "I don't wanna."

Lavi, Allen noted with concern, had gone abruptly very stiff. Before he could move to do something about this, Lenalee broke in.

"We're fine," she said, her voice noticeably cooler than it had been speaking to Road or Wisely. "We'll go to bed sooner or later."

Sheryl's gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then flickered briefly to Lavi. Something unreadable passed over his face, and then he shrugged and flapped his hands dismissively.

"Oh, you don't know the Earl yet, but he's very fretful," he said cheerfully. "I assure you, it's much easier to stay here and make sure you get back in timely manner than to deal with a worried Millennium Earl."

"Thank you," Allen offered, when it was clear no one else was inclined to speak. "That's very kind of you." He took in Sheryl's slightly put out expression, sighed, and added, "We're all a little tired; I'm sorry if we're not particularly receptive at the moment."

"Speak for yourself," Kanda muttered, scowling at the ground in the absence of a single acceptable target.

"Then you should go to sleep, cheating boy," Tyki commented idly, gaze sharp, ignoring Kanda's aside.

Allen let his gaze linger on the Noah for a few moments, and made a mental note to apologize to him later. For trying to exorcise him. It was the least he could do.

A lot of apologies were owed, on both sides.

What he said instead was, "Please let us get used to this in our own time. It was bound to be a bad night. We knew that when we came here." His smile softened into something more self-deprecating. "We'll be fine. I promise."

Another brief moment of silence while Tyki's gaze lingered on him, and then the Noah shrugged, chose a bench that was not occupied by exorcists, and plopped down to lounge on it, one leg crossed over the other. "Hell, we don't have anything better to do," he said.

"Anyway, family doesn't let family stay up alone," Sheryl added, and Allen felt his heart skip a beat – whether that was from himself or a half-awake Neah, he had no idea, but the thought of being part of a family sent his gaze back to the ground and a flush to his cheeks. "Why, my darling little brother would stay up all night if you asked! Isn't that right, little Tyki?"

"Shut up, Sheryl," Tyki growled, and when Allen glanced up, he suppressed a smile; Sheryl was trying to hug Tyki, and Tyki was squirming away with not quite all of his might. "This is why I can't take you anywhere, you idiot!"

"You know you love it, Tyki," Road teased.

"No, I damn well don't!"

Kanda snorted. It was the first remotely positive reaction he'd surrendered since the Noah arrived, and perhaps that was why it drew attention the way it did. As soon as he noticed that, he scowled, but said anyway, "Some people just don't know when to fucking quit."

"You said it, samurai," Tyki muttered, and finally escaped Sheryl's grasp.

"This 'General Tiedoll' seems an interesting character," Wisely commented with a slight, wry smile.

"Idiot general," Kanda groused, not without a sharp warning glare to Wisely, who inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Quiet. Allen nudged Lavi and gave him a questioning look, and Lavi managed a grin and a thumbs-up for him, in direct contrast to how pale and stiff he still was. In return, Allen gave Lavi a faint smile, and Lavi relaxed slightly.

After a few moments, Lenalee laughed. It wasn't exactly a happy sound, but it wasn't hysterical, either, not scared or upset or unhinged.

"It's over," she said, head dipped so Allen couldn't see her face, hands clenched into loose fists and voice flooded with what Allen hesitantly identified as relief. She was shaking, a little bit. "It's really over."

"It's over," Allen confirmed, voice soft. He glanced at Kanda, scowling faintly, and Lavi, half-slouched and uncharacteristically quiet. He looked at Lenalee, and then Road, whose smile was gone, and Tyki and Sheryl, both watching them sharply, and finally Wisely, whose gaze was as unreadable as Allen's ever was. And he let himself smile. "We're going to be okay." He looked at Tyki and Sheryl, and added, "Thank you."

And maybe they didn't get it now, how much it meant to them, but they would, eventually.

Sheryl inclined his head, smile gone. "It wasn't really our choice," he noted mildly. "Not once the Earl had agreed."

"Even so," Allen agreed, and Sheryl smiled. Tyki laughed.

"He's not going to stop until he gets the answer he wants," he explained to Sheryl cheerfully, and Sheryl chuckled.

"In that case – you're welcome." He hesitated, and then seemed to shrug and smiled again. "Allen."

After that, the exorcists didn't stick around for long. Kanda left first, stalking off alone in the general direction of his room, and then Lavi, with a hasty, muttered excuse; Allen was grateful that he'd stuck around as long as he had, considering his nightmare had more likely than not been of his time in captivity. Road left soon after that, with a significant look at Wisely, and Sheryl went with her, to tuck her into bed, he insisted. Tyki left with a nod, and then Lenalee, who cast Allen a questioning, concerned look before she left, only leaving when Allen gave her a smile and a nod.

That left Wisely and Allen, and Wisely pushed off his tree and stretched.

"We should probably go back to bed," Wisely commented mildly. "Do you mind if I walk you back? It would set the Earl's mind at ease if he was sure you'd gotten back alright."

"What could possibly happen in here?" Allen wondered, but nodded in agreement nonetheless, and both of them started walking in the direction they'd come.

"Don't ask me," Wisely chuckled.

They both went quiet, walking side by side – maybe a little further apart than most people would have, but side by side nonetheless. They were almost halfway back before Wisely spoke again.

"The Earl really is very worried, you know. I'm not certain you realize how obvious it is, how uncomfortable you all are around us."

"I know," Allen acknowledged, smile disappearing. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure there's really anything we can do about it."

Wisely glanced over at him with obvious pity in his eyes. "I know. That isn't what I was saying." Allen frowned at him in confusion, and Wisely continued, "The Earl wants all of you to feel comfortable, you know. At this point, if any of you asked for something, he would grant it without a single question asked." Wisely waited a moment, but Allen, for once, wasn't sure what to say; maybe he'd used all of his words earlier in the day. "And the rest of the Noah family wants _you_ here, Allen. You're family, whether you know what that means or not."

Allen knew. As awful as he felt about it, that had been one of his biggest bargaining chips when negotiating peace initially.

He ducked his head, cheeks flushing with embarrassment and discomfort. "Thank you," he said, for lack of anything better.

Wisely sighed, and before Allen could think to feel guilty, the other boy reached to grasp his elbow gently, giving him a serious look.

"We're Noah," Wisely said. "It's not in our nature to be understanding or to be gentle. But that doesn't mean we're incapable of restraint."

Allen laughed a little. "I don't think you need to worry about that. Kanda might kill something if you handle him with kid gloves. We'll probably do better if you pretend not to notice."

Wisely's mouth twitched into a brief smile. "Thank God," he replied dryly. "Sadly, that's not how the Earl works, or Sheryl, for that matter." Pause. "Lavi. Is he ever going to move past what happened?"

Allen didn't know, honestly. "He'll try."

Wisely nodded. "You're doing a good job," he said suddenly. "Negotiating all this. I know you're the only true bridge between us. It will be hard, but I know you can."

"Thank you," Allen repeated, and it was somehow softer and more sincere than all the ones that came before it. Wisely gave him another nod.

"It's hard now," Wisely said, "but it is not impossible. We can do this, if we try."

Allen wasn't so sure. But it was good, at least, to know that Wisely thought it could happen.

They reached Allen's room, and there were no parting words. Wisely gave Allen one final nod, and Allen smiled back, and then he'd returned inside and the door was shutting behind him.

This was exhausting, Allen realized dimly.

But it was going to work. It was going to be worth it.

Everything would be worth it, so long as they were okay.

* * *

 **And that's that! A vague compilation of what might be in this series can be found again on my Tumblr, but otherwise you can just sit and wait to see what comes up. *wave* Lenalee, specifically, I have plans for, and Kanda'll be fun too. (Nea_writes has something for Allen and the Earl written already, so I'm considering just leaving that alone, since she did an _amazing_ job.) However, this will _not_ be updating regularly, sorry. Regardless, thanks for reading, and please review!**


	2. Licorice Rope

**A/N: Hey! *wave* This one took longer than expected; partially I was resisting doing this one next when there really are a whole lot of other things to explore, partially it just took a while to plan, and _then_ it took me like two whole days to write. Ridiculous.**

 **Thank you to Shadow Spears, ShadowTrooper1414, jy24, Ryuakilover, Chaoshift, Kittenanimegirl13, pikaree1, ElReyCiervo, Lena-luvs-cats, InsanityOwl, RedHerring1412, SomniumofLight, and guest for reviewing!**

 **Title: Licorice Rope**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: T**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Friendship/Angst**

 **Warnings: AU ending**

 **Summary: Lenalee _hates_ Jasdevi; she doesn't know why she agreed to go on an errand with them. Or: the story of how Lenalee and Jasdevi became friends.**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.**

* * *

The Black Ark, as it turned out, was structured similarly to the White Ark; that meant, among other things, that there was an oversized central building that overlooked everything.

Even in the White Ark, when the world had been crumbling around them and she'd been worried out of her mind about Kanda and Krory and everyone, she'd spared a moment to wonder what the view was like when the Ark was intact. Now, here, it was one of her favorite places.

As she'd expected, the view was wonderful.

"Dear girl, how do you always manage to find your way up here?"

Lenalee started violently, twisting around to look at the door that she'd been only vaguely aware of a minute before, looking at the approaching Noah.

"You shouldn't sit like that," the Earl chided gently, giving her a warm smile; he'd all but stopped wearing the manic Earl suit after the peace had been made, and it was almost unnerving how welcoming he looked under it. "You could fall, and then we'd be in a right pickle."

Lenalee blinked, surprised, and then glanced down. Her legs were dangling over the edge, the ledge lacking anything remotely resembling a railing or a barrier of any sort. If she kicked her foot too hard, her shoes could easily go flying off into nowhere.

"I fly," she answered belatedly, looking back up at the Earl and giving him a hesitant smile, reaching up to thumb the crest on her uniform coat absently. "It doesn't really matter much if I fall."

The Earl blinked, and then laughed, sitting down a few feet away from her. She shifted around, pressing her back to the pillar she'd been sitting beside, and gave him a curious look.

"What brings you here, Earl?" she asked, more wary than she'd intended to let herself sound. Fortunately, the Earl didn't seem to take offense.

"What are you doing here all alone, Lenalee?" the Earl asked her, gentle and sincere, leaning forward slightly to meet her eyes. The smile that had been so carefree a moment before faded into something more understanding.

That was maybe the most surprising thing about all of this – the Earl was _thoughtful,_ and he was _kind._ When it came down to it, he'd accepted each and every one of the exorcists as if they were part of his family, simply because Allen declared them part of his.

Lenalee wondered if she felt more uncomfortable about it because she was couldn't forgive them, or because she couldn't bring herself return the favor.

"Most of my friends are with other people at the moment," she said at last, shrugging a little. "Even my brother is with Mightra." She glanced away, down at the cityscape below. "I thought I'd take a bit of time to myself."

When she looked back at the Earl, he'd tilted his head, studying her thoughtfully. It reminded- It reminded her of Allen, actually. Though she knew better than to say as much.

Finally, the Earl's face broke into a grin, so startling she nearly jumped.

"I know what you need!" he declared, pointing at her dramatically. "You need to get out for a day!"

Lenalee blinked, considered, and then asked helplessly, "Huh?"

The Earl beamed at her, looking unaccountably proud of himself. "You see, dear girl, I found myself with a problem. Road's been asking for candy, you see, and we've recently run out, so someone needs to run out and get some." He grinned. "Jasdero and David are the only ones available just now, but of course, I can't let them go out alone." He laughed at the very idea, fond amusement making his tone light and boisterous. "So would you be a dear and go with them?"

"Ah…" Lenalee considered throwing herself off the edge of the building. It wasn't as if she'd get hurt. "Earl, I don't know if anyone's mentioned, but Jasdevi and I-"

The Earl flapped his hands dismissively. "I know, I know, you had a bit of a quibble the last time you met." He beamed. "It's just for an hour or so, I promise! It'll go just fine!" He was looking at her expectantly, eyes sparkling like an excited child now. "You might even have fun while you're out!"

Lenalee bit her cheek, more than a little reluctant. Out of all the Noah, Jasdero and David were probably the ones she resented the most for her own sake, though they weren't the ones she disliked most – that honor went to Sheryl. What was more, she couldn't see any way she'd be willing to spend time with them until they grew up a little.

After Kanda, after Allen, after Lavi, even herself – a couple of teenagers with too much power and the arrogance to abuse it was simply too much. She just couldn't stand them.

The longer she remained silent, the more the Earl's face fell. Finally, looking like a kicked puppy, he appended, "I don't mean to force your hand, of course, dear girl. You're in no way obliged to do this. I'm sure Allen, bless his heart, would be willing, or dearest Tyki when he returns-"

Lenalee made a decision and smiled hesitantly at the Earl, which stopped him in his tracks, expression morphing straight back to innocently hopeful.

"I'll do it," she said confidently, pushing herself up from the ground. "It's just an hour, right? How badly could it possibly go?"

The Earl beamed at her and bounced to his feet, looking properly delighted. "That's the spirit, dear girl!" he cheered.

And then he started dancing, and Lenalee had to smile.

The Earl was silly. If there was anything that reassured her about this situation, it was that.

* * *

That was how Lenalee found herself on the streets of London, wandering with Jasdevi and looking for a candy shop that they had vague directions at _best_ with which to work with.

Despite the company, Lenalee felt a little more relaxed already. A little bit of space did _wonders_ for her sense of security, it turned out. She'd agreed to stay with the Noah, to stay with her friends doing the same, but it wasn't nearly the demon deal it had felt like at first. She was still free.

"I can't believe we're being sent out to fetch sugary stuff _again!"_ David was complaining to his twin, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Road's, like, thirty-five years old, ain't she?"

"Yeah, can't she get her own candy?" Jasdero agreed, bobbing his head furiously.

The company really _was_ putting a damper on things, though.

"I'm sure there's a good reason," Lenalee said halfheartedly, casting her gaze about almost desperately for anything remotely resembling a candy shop. It had been maybe fifteen minutes, and already Jasdevi's complaining was setting her teeth on edge, for no reason that she could even readily discern.

In unison, both twins stuck their tongues out at her. "No one asked you, exorcist!"

She suppressed a scowl and instead tipped her head toward a shop she'd just spotted. "I think that's the place we're looking for, anyway."

"Finally!" David groaned dramatically, shoving his way through the crowd.

"Finally!" Jasdero agreed, following in his wake.

Lenalee clenched her fist briefly, brow wrinkling, and then forced herself to relax, edging through the crowd only slightly more slowly than the two Noah. Silently, she chided herself; if she couldn't hold her temper, she was no better than they were.

When she reached the store, the two of them were already exploring the aisles, picking out random treats off the shelves and shouting at each other across the store. Having no idea what kind of candy Road preferred, she went for the lollipops, since she'd actually seen Road with those.

It only took a few minutes to gather a good amount, thankfully; satisfied, Lenalee turned away to approach the register, already reaching into her pocket for her wallet.

"Good evening, ma'am," the owner greeted politely, smiling as she set her purchase on the counter.

She gave him a small, genial smile in return. "Evening," she returned. She opened her wallet, picking out the amount she'd counted to. "Nice day today, isn't it?"

"It's been a _cold_ day," he disagreed, not without a pointed glance down. She repressed the urge to sigh; she'd kept wearing her uniform after the Order disbanded, being the most comfortable with it, but of course, it sometimes presented a problem when dealing with the population at large.

"Not that cold, I'd say," she replied, tone clipped, and then, "Five shillings should do, yes?"

"Yes, five shillings," he confirmed, glancing down. "And- Hey! You!"

Lenalee whirled around, following the shop owner's gaze, and felt her mouth pull into a frustrated scowl. "Jasdevi!" she snapped, turning around entirely and abandoning the bag of candy behind her.

David half-turned in the doorway, stuck his tongue out at her, and then fled the store with Jasdero at his heels, both their pockets overflowing with candy.

Lenalee was _not_ going to stomp her feet like a four year old, but she did make a loud, aggravated noise in the back of her throat and dart after them.

"All of you get back here!" the angry shopkeeper yelled, trailing behind them as both Jasdevi and Lenalee made their way through the crowd with much more ease than he.

It took only a few moments for Lenalee to catch up to Jasdevi, and, knowing that if she caught one of them she'd have both of them, she reached out and closed a hand around Jasdero's wrist, stopping him so harshly that he nearly fell.

"Hey, what gives!" Jasdero complained when he'd recovered his balance, turning around to huff at her.

At the call, David turned sharply and then scowled at her as soon as he realized what had happened. "Hey, let go of my brother!"

"Not until you get back and…" She took a breath, forcing herself to at least _pretend_ to be calm. Why had she agreed to this again? "If not apologize, then at _least_ pay for the candy you just _stole."_

"It's just candy, who cares?" David asked, crossing his arms in disgust. "No one has time for that kind of shit anyway."

"Yeah, that guy was a jerk anyway!" Jasdero popped in, nodding furiously.

"There you are!"

All three of them turned with identically irritated expressions toward the shopkeeper, who had finally caught up. Red-faced and panting just a little, he fumed at them, looking almost like he'd explode if he got just a _little_ angrier.

"You'll come back-" he fumed, pointing at all of them accusingly. "And you'll pay for that merchandise, you _worthless rats-"_

David punched him. In the face.

It effectively shut the guy up, but it also attracted the attention of several other people on the street, _including_ two police officers.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" one of them called, starting to push toward them; the crowd parted around them, and people were staring, the beginnings of murmurs starting to stir in the air.

"Shoplifters!" the shopkeeper hollered, clutching at his nose, and Lenalee was losing sympathy for him with every word he spoke. "Thieves! Arrest them, officer…!"

Lenalee became aware that she was still holding onto Jasdero's arm and let go abruptly, stepping back with a frown. Then, sighing slightly, she turned to the officer and said soothingly, "There's nothing to see here, officer, my _friends_ and I were just heading back-"

Someone gripped her elbow abruptly. "That's what they all s-"

Lenalee was spinning around with her knee coming up into the third, previously unnoticed, officer's stomach before she'd even processed his words.

"Free for all!" Jasdevi cheered together.

And obviously, it only went downhill from there.

* * *

There was no one in the holding cell save the three of them. That, as far as Lenalee was concerned, was the situation's only saving grace.

Jasdevi were leaning against each other in the opposite corner, and Lenalee had placed herself on one side of the door, keeping a halfhearted eye on the hallway but mostly sulking. Nice though it had been to step out of the Ark for a while, she really, really didn't think it had been worth it.

"She hit me!" Jasdero whined, covering one of his eyes. David patted his shoulder, glaring at Lenalee out of the corner of his eye.

"I know, I know, Dero. We'll get her back when we're out of here."

"Promise?" Jasdero sniffled.

David grinned wickedly. "When have I ever lied to you?"

Lenalee felt like she should probably more concerned about this, but really, all she could bring herself to do was sigh deeply and say, voice tart, "I wouldn't have hit you if you hadn't _snuck up behind me_ in the _middle of a fight."_ Probably. Maybe.

"A fight that _you_ started!" David pointed out, caught somewhere between gleeful and indignant.

"I did not!" Lenalee snapped. "You punched one of them in the face before I did, if you recall!"

"And _you_ kicked the other and tossed him into a wall!" David countered. "Face it, girl-"

"You've got as much patience for these guys as we do!" Jasdero finished, the stitches over his mouth contorting an already mildly unsettling grin.

It irked her probably more than it should have that that was completely true.

Her cheeks burning with humiliation, Lenalee returned, "At least I _deal_ with them! The two of you just act like nothing even matters to you!"

"Nothing _does_ matter to us," David informed her, his grin taking on the slightly insane quality characteristic of the Noah. "Why should we care about _lesser beings_ when we've got all the power we could ever want?"

Lenalee was on her feet before she realized it, the crossmarks at her ankles burning with her anger. "That's exactly what I hate about the two of you!" she spat, the words spinning from her tongue without her say-so. "The whole damn _world_ at your fingertips, and what do you do with it? You treat it like your plaything! You hurt people for fun and then scream and wail when you don't get your way!"

And then David was on his feet too, fists clenched at his sides. "It's not our fault that you're such an uptight _bitch_ fun is a foreign concept to you!"

"Why do you even care what we do, anyway?" Jasdero threw in, arms crossed and standing at an angle from David.

"You're hurting people who don't deserve it!" Lenalee hissed.

"Why should we care about _them,_ anyway?" Jasdero grumbled, mouth twisting into a scowl under the stitches. "What did they ever do for _us?"_

"Humanity's a big old waste of space," David agreed, bobbing his head lightly. "Can't even take care of their own. What good does it do to _spare_ them?"

Lenalee tried to find words to retaliate and realized she had none; God knew she'd thought similarly enough times, over and over again over the course of her life. She tightened her fists until her knuckles hurt, but it didn't help her find an answer.

"Hey," David said after a moment, sounding creeped out. "Why are you crying?"

Lenalee felt the tears rolling down her cheeks, and reached up to impatiently swipe them away. "Forget it," she said bitterly. "And…" She hesitated, and then forged on. "Maybe you're right… About humans. Maybe they _do_ deserve to hurt." Her voice shook. "But no one. _Ever._ Deserves to get disregarded as a person."

After a few moments, still neither of them had replied, and when Lenalee looked back up, both of them were giving her matching odd looks. Finally, David shrugged.

"Whatever," Jasdevi muttered together, and, at the same time, went to slump back to their previous seats.

Scowling, cheeks red with embarrassment, Lenalee retook her own seat as well, and stiffly looked back out down the hall.

Why had she said that? Had she expected them to _understand?_ It was the most ridiculous thing, too raw and too honest, a sentiment that never should've passed her lips.

An awkward silence filled the holding cell, pressing in on them and making it seem just a little bit smaller. Lenalee tapped her feet, disrupting it just a little but not quite enough.

"Hey," David said suddenly, making her start. "Girl."

Against her better judgement, she glanced over to Jasdevi, frowning in question.

"You ever pull a prank before?" Jasdero asked, starting to smile as he apparently caught his twin's train of thought.

Lenalee blinked and started to frown, but before she could answer, her ears caught the sound of footsteps, and she looked over sharply, catching the gradual approach of what looked like another officer.

"Hey, some of my boys heard-" the officer was starting to say, but as he drew closer, Lenalee saw his eyes drop down to her chest, and the color drained from his face.

"Heard what?" David asked, bristling again at the sight of the officer, but the man was ignoring him.

Slowly, his eyes returned to hers, and she crossed her arms.

"I hate dealing with police," she said mildly, knowing full well what he was thinking and feeling no pity, because honestly, it had been a bad day and she was _done._

"Ah-" He swallowed, eyes darting briefly back down and then to hers again. "I apologize for the, ah, inconvenience, Miss Exorcist."

She held his gaze just long enough to make him even more supremely uncomfortable, and then sighed, reached up to scratch the back of her head, and said resignedly, "Sometimes it can't be avoided." She smiled an unfriendly smile. "But I think it's about time you let us out, yes?"

"Yes, of course," the officer said hastily, reaching into his pockets and pulling out a set of keys. As he was unlocking the door, he asked, hesitant, "May I ask, the, ah, the thievery…?"

"A misunderstanding," Lenalee said, infusing her tone with just the right amount of coolness to make him drop the line of questioning. (There were certain skills you developed after years of generally questionable activity, and the ability to deal with police was one of them.)

"Of course," the officer repeated, and with that, they were let out.

"That," David declared, as soon as they were outside the door. "Was _amazing."_

Surprised, Lenalee let herself smile a little. "Not really."

"Even old Sheryl can't get us out _that_ quickly," Jasdero concurred, snickering. "It takes _forever_ and _ever_ and _ever-"_

"I think he does that on purpose, though," David noted with a slight scowl. "Says it 'serves us right'."

Lenalee shrugged. "The Order does have _some_ power," she said wryly.

"Even now that everything's over and done with?" Jasdero asked suspiciously.

"I don't think most supporters know it's over," she admitted shamelessly.

Both of them stared at her.

"Hey," David said after a moment, a wicked grin starting to spread across his face. "Feel like getting a bit of petty revenge?"

Lenalee almost said no, because she was still generally annoyed with everything, but being released so quickly had worn away some of her irritation, and the tone the two twins were taking with her had shifted so abruptly that it was catching her a little off-guard, and so she asked, "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

"Wait for it…" David grinned, peeking around the corner, eyes glittering.

Despite herself, Lenalee couldn't help but hold her breath, peering around right along with him. "Are you sure it's going to work?" she asked, voice hushed.

"Of course!" Jasdero hissed, voice unusually quiet for him, though the laughter restrained in his voice was clear. "Now shush, he's coming!"

The candy shop owner emerged from the back room muttering, not even paying attention. Sure enough, he nudged the front door open, and the large container of syrup that Jasdero had carefully balanced on top came tumbling down.

Lenalee clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter as the owner was _drenched_ in thick syrup – and then the plastic bucket came down on the man's head, and she lost it, half collapsing against the side of the building and face flushing pink.

It was petty – _God,_ it was petty, a revenge for a hard day that hadn't even really been his fault. She loved it all the same.

On either side of her, Jasdevi elbowed her, giving her identical pleased grins.

"So you do know what fun is after all," David jabbed, and Lenalee might've rolled her eyes, but honestly, she was still laughing way too hard.

"Heehee!" Jasdero grinned, and tugged at her elbow. "Let's go before he finds us, come on!"

In a mess of limbs and stumbling and cackling, they made their escape – a clean one this time that involved no police officers. They finally slowed down three blocks away, and Jasdero jeered at Lenalee,

"That was fun, yeah? Yeah?"

"It was fun," Lenalee conceded helplessly, pulling her arm from his grip and shaking his head disbelievingly. "But I don't think it's exactly my… style, I guess." Her anger and frustration was usually discharged in spilt akuma oil or, more often, not at all.

"You don't have anyone you'd like a little _petty_ revenge against?" David challenged, putting his hands on his hips and leaning forward, a wide smirk on his face.

Lenalee opened her mouth to deny it, and then paused, and considered briefly. She and Jasdevi hadn't settled their differences, not really, but somehow their presence wasn't as aggravating as it had been mere hours before, and… Really, maybe they had a point. About her loosening up a little, at the very least.

She smiled, a wicked curve of her lips that brought a mischievous gleam to her eyes, and asked, "Can we prank Sheryl?"

Jasdevi grinned. "Abso-fucking-lutely!"

Lenalee's smile lightened a little and turned genuine, though the gleam of excitement remained in her eyes, and she laughed a little, shaking her head to herself.

"Now." For the first time that day, David threw his arm around her shoulders and smirked at her, and even Lenalee was surprised when she didn't shrug it off. "I don't know about you, but Dero and I have had one _hell_ of a day, and I think we deserve a drink."

"Alcohol, alcohol!" Jasdero cheered, clarifying for Lenalee _exactly_ what kind of drink David was referring to.

Lenalee considered. "I don't have my wallet," she told them; it had been left behind when she'd gone chasing after them earlier, and who knew where it was now.

"You can pay us back later," David said dismissively, Jasdero nodding along.

"Alright then," Lenalee said at last, and she smiled.

* * *

They returned to the Ark nearly four hours after they left, with no candy in their possession and with Lenalee's wallet still missing. The Earl and Komui were both there to greet them in seconds; the Earl alternately fretted over all three of them and scolded them, while Komui wailed at Lenalee about boys and the dangers of the streets of London.

But no amount of worried wails could hide the gleam of surprise and relief in Komui's eyes, and Lenalee was sure it had nothing to do with her safe return and everything to do with the broad smile she wore.

And if Lenalee was still a little giggly even half an hour later – she didn't think it was entirely because of the alcohol.

* * *

 **This took an _unjustifiably_ long time, and it's a ways outside my usual, but hell, it was fun. And I got to do a Lenalee thing, finally. *smile* Overall, I think I'm pleased with it. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	3. Civil Fulcrum

**A/N: Hey! *smile* I'm back with another bit - I really do like this AU too much, even if it's mostly fairly peaceful. And finally I address how much pressure is being put on poor Allen, hehe.**

 **Thank you to ShadowTrooper1414, DemigodVenaurora, jy24, purpleswans, Ennael, Lena-luvs-cats, Shadow Spears, Cbyte128, Anna, pikaree1, and newby6320 for reviewing!**

 **Title: Civil Fulcrum**

 **Author: liketolaugh**

 **Rating: T**

 **Pairings: None**

 **Genre: Friendship/Angst**

 **Warnings: AU ending**

 **Summary: Allen is feeling the stress of his responsibilities, but that's nothing new. What's new is Wisely coming to talk to him, after everyone else has settled down for the day.**

 **Disclaimer: I only wish I owned D. Gray-man.**

* * *

Nowadays, Allen spent the entire day in company. He woke up and had breakfast with the Earl and whoever was with him, checked up on each of the Noah and each of the exorcists, and he agreed to whatever outing or game or other social engagement he was invited to, whether it was an ominous game with Road and a beleaguered Tyki or an errand run with Miranda and Lulubell. Then when that was done, he'd go back into the Ark and break up brewing arguments, soothe tensions, talk to everyone he could and have lunch with a few. And then he'd attend dinner with the Earl and whoever wanted to join them, and then he'd return to his room and socialize for a while with whoever was there, whether it was Link temporarily released by Cross, or Cross himself, or Road deciding she hadn't spent enough time with him that day.

It was wonderful, to have so much company, so many people who would, who wanted to, talk to him. It was amazing, to be able to spend as much time as he wanted around people who _liked_ him- who _loved_ him.

And it was _stressful._

Crying was Allen's natural outlet; he'd cried often as a small child, and when he was with Mana, with Cross and with the Order. He cried when he was angry, when he was upset, when he was tired or anxious or stressed. Sometimes he even cried when he was happy, which Cross had an annoying tendency to laugh at him for.

But here, at least at the moment, that wasn't an option. Tensions were high, and whatever else he may be, whatever other tentative connections may have been forged, Allen was still the only real, solid common element.

So when Allen started crying, things started going wrong. Timothy would get angry and accuse Tyki of upsetting him, or Mana would start crying too and upset the Noah enough for them to start picking fights, or Sheryl would fret and rant and panic Lavi enough to set off both Lenalee and Kanda, or _something._ And they would fight.

All that this meant was that Allen waited to cry until he was alone, in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep or when he returned to find his room empty, for once. Then Neah would go quiet, and Allen would let himself go.

Today, Allen had barely shut the door behind him before he was leaning against it and sliding to the ground. He took one shaky breath, then two, and reached up to press his palm against his forehead, feeling the unnatural stiffness of his hand even through the glove. Hot tears started to fall, unbidden and unresisted, and he struggled to stay quiet, worried that even now someone would come by and hear him.

Nothing hurt quite as much as talking to Mana… the Earl, did. And nothing made Allen feel as small or as selfish, either. Or as desperate, and pathetic, and needy-

A sharp rap on the door startled Allen out of his thoughts, and with a gasp, he scrambled to his feet, hurriedly wiping away the tears, leaving faint wet marks on his gloves. It took half a second for him to recompose himself, and then he reached out and opened the door, wondering wearily who'd come calling later than usual. Road, maybe, or Tyki or Kanda-

"Wisely?" he asked, surprised.

Wisely quirked an eyebrow at him, arms crossed and expression mild. "Allen," he returned evenly, tilting his head in acknowledgement. "How are you this evening?"

Allen smiled. "Just fine. What brings you here? You don't normally come by this late."

Wisely half-shrugged, gaze strangely intense as he kept it on Allen. "Something I'd like to discuss with you, that's all. May I come in?"

"Of course." With a practiced gesture and another slight smile, Allen stepped aside and waved Wisely in.

Allen's room had been made up as much with guests in mind as with his own preferences, if not more. It had a large lounge area, a smaller and more intimate table, a kitchen also filled with stools and a long counter, and other such arrangements.

Allen led Wisely to the lounge and sat on the end of a couch, while Wisely sat on the other end, already turning to face him. Allen turned aside to face him more fully as well, looking at him expectantly.

For a long moment, Wisely just studied him, and Allen's brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

"I heard that you and Lavi have been getting along well," Allen ventured at last, when Wisely made no move to speak first. Then, more sincerely, "Thank you for reaching out to him."

Lavi had been one of the people he'd been most worried about, but he seemed to relax more around Wisely, and when he'd last been over he'd seemed happier, with more heart in his teasing and more honesty in his smile.

"Your eyes are red," Wisely said, instead of replying, expression fully unreadable.

Allen's hand traitorously twitched up slightly, as if to check, but he smiled bashfully instead. "Ah, how embarrassing. I think I might be catching some-"

"Allen," Wisely interrupted, eyebrows raised and voice patient. "I'm a telepath, and I live with the Earl. I know when someone's been crying."

Allen didn't let his smile falter, though he knew it had turned a little more plastic and awkward. "I do cry quite a lot for someone my age. Ask Kanda; I'm sure he'd be more than happy to complain about it at length."

Now Wisely looked downright unimpressed, and Allen held his smile, struggling not to let his unease bloom. It wasn't Wisely's fault, really – it was more Allen's, for being so intensely private.

"You spent some time with the Earl earlier, didn't you?" Wisely prompted, placing one hand between them and leaning forward onto it, as if to intensify his gaze further. "How did that go?"

"Perfectly well," Allen insisted, and did not think about laughter and dizzying happiness that died off into realization and failure, betrayal, hurt-

 _"Allen."_ Wisely pinned him with a glare. "Even the _best_ of liars can't lie to me."

The itch of a memory in the back of Allen's mind told him that it was true; no one lied to Wisely and truly expected to get away with it.

Allen blew out a breath and averted his gaze, focusing instead on the unlit fireplace taking up part of the wall. The mantle was decorated with pictures – pictures of the other exorcists, mostly, but a few of the Noah had begun to show up as well. There was one of Jasdevi leaning on either side of Lenalee, another of Tyki and Road posing for the camera, another of Mana beaming joyfully-

"Ah," Wisely said, with damning satisfaction. "Yes, I thought that was the problem."

"Hm?" Confused, Allen returned his gaze to Wisely, who had leaned back again, arms crossing.

"Neah," Wisely said patiently, "that isn't Mana."

Allen stiffened up, taking in a sharp breath through his teeth and making a physical effort not to recoil as if he'd been dealt a blow. Why would Wisely…?

 _That was low,_ Neah murmured, a tickle in Allen's thoughts. He sounded derisive and irritated.

Allen pressed a hand briefly to his forehead again and willed him away, and Neah grudgingly retreated. If nothing else, he was surprisingly good at respecting Allen's privacy.

"Yes, I suppose it was," Wisely agreed, and Allen removed his hand to give him a frustrated, questioning look. "But you see, of course, why you can't keep calling the Earl by that name."

Allen hissed, forcing his breath back out of his lungs and dropping his gaze to the cushion between them. Slowly, he made himself relax, and smiled faintly.

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, I'm trying." He tipped his head up a little to look at Wisely and softened his smile into something apologetic and wry. "It's hard to remember sometimes." They acted so alike.

"You can't remember," Wisely said sharply, "because you don't _want to."_

Allen's smile fell. "Excuse me?"

"You _want_ him to be Mana," Wisely accused, and it was hard to focus on anything but him, hard to look him in the eye but impossible to look away. "Far more, I might add, than he wants you to be Neah most days."

Frustration and hurt, each as irrational as the other, made a tight ball in Allen's chest, and he leaned back, giving Wisely a look that was maybe more defensive than was necessarily called for.

"I'm _trying!"_ Allen snapped, every line of his body going rigid. "I _know_ he isn't Mana, I _know_ it hurts him when I think of him that way, I'm not trying to hurt him!" That was the last thing he wanted, but-

"Try _harder!"_ Wisely returned, without for a moment letting up on his glare.

Allen's first exhale caught in his throat. The second came out too hard, the following breath in even worse.

The third was a sob.

It caught Allen off-guard, since he'd had absolutely no intention of crying in front of Wisely, but once he'd started he couldn't stop. These weren't the quiet, controlled tears he preferred, either – he was gasping for breath in between hitching whines and hiccups, withdrawing into himself as if that could hide him from the Noah on the other end of the couch.

He _was_ trying – he was trying as hard as he could. He was trying to keep everyone calm and happy, he was trying to make things easier on everyone, he was trying to get Lavi to feel more comfortable and Kanda to find at least one friend and Sheryl to feel included.

And he _wanted_ to be close to the Earl. He wanted to be a family agai- to be a family. He wanted to be able to receive love as freely as the Earl gave it, to give it back just as easily, and he _didn't want to hurt him._

But he was tired, and he was stretched too thin, and he-

He missed Mana.

Wisely's hand fell on his back and Allen jolted, but Wisely just started to rub gentle circles on it, quiet and suddenly not nearly as aggressive as he had been mere moments before. The epitome of patience.

He stayed until Allen finally settled down, face red and blotchy, breathing hard, and feeling far more tired than he had before he'd started.

More tired. But calmer.

Wisely waited for a few moments, still silent, and slowly, Allen's thoughts settled down into exhausted silence as well. Then Wisely drew away again, to the previous distance, and said, almost casually, "Road thinks you're doing very well, actually."

"Huh?" Allen was startled again, looking up at Wisely, not bothering to hide the state of his face. It was a little late for that, anyway.

Wisely offered him a small smile. "She's been keeping an eye on you two," he explained. "Even after she stopped locking you in rooms together."

Allen hadn't realized that, though he probably should have. "I would have thought she'd take your side of things," he admitted. Road and Wisely, more than any of the other Noah, hated to see the Earl hurt.

"Road knows a little something about missing people you used to know," Wisely replied.

Allen started, and then processed the rest of it and glanced away, flushing pink. "I suppose she learned to do better," he said after a moment, not looking at Wisely. Of course Wisely had heard.

"Eventually," Wisely agreed. "It was a learning process, of course."

Allen hummed a little in confusion. "I thought I just needed to do better? I mean, you were saying…"

"I thought you needed a kick in the arse," Wisely allowed. Then he considered a moment, and then added, "And a good cry."

Allen let his surprise turn his lips up in a half-smile. "I was getting to it," he argued, and then let his smile fade. "What do you think I should do, then? I know he's not Mana – when I'm away from him, I can even remember." Usually. "But it's different when I'm alone with him."

Wisely frowned at him, clearly thinking, and for a moment Allen wished he had Wisely's ability. A smile flickered across Wisely's face. "No, you don't," Wisely said dryly, and then, "Try looking for the differences instead. There are some, you know."

"There are some?" Allen echoed, surprise flashing through him. He hadn't noticed any- but then again, what if he was having trouble remembering what Mana had been like, too? If he'd reduced the man, in his mind, to an idealization of himself, if- He cut the train of thought with a glance at Wisely, whose expression had changed into something almost awful, and nodded. "Okay. I'll look."

"I'm surprised you don't resent that I'm here only for the Earl's best interests," Wisely noted, studying Allen with a frown.

"No, I…" Allen's smile softened, and he didn't bother hiding the terrible fondness that colored it. "It's good that he has people to look after him. He's not very good at it."

Wisely smiled a little himself. "No, he's not." He shook his head and refocused on Allen, slightly more stern. "Which is why I won't let him become a victim of your grief. He doesn't deserve that."

Allen knew – his grief had consumed much stronger things than the Earl's mental health. "He won't." Allen wasn't a kid anymore. Then, because he didn't trust that anymore than Wisely would, "Let me know if I get out of line?"

"Obviously," Wisely snorted. Allen smiled a little.

"Was that all you wanted, then?" he asked. "It's getting rather late."

Wisely considered him, apparently genuinely thinking about it. "You should say something if you're feeling overwhelmed," he said after a moment, frowning once again. "Everyone here _does_ care about you, you realize. It would be no good if you made yourself sick."

Allen shook his head. "They trust me to handle this," he explained, without saying anything about how much that trust meant to him. "And they're getting better." He smiled, warm and genuine, happiness stirring its way out from under the worry. "Lenalee spends a lot of her time with Jasdevi, and Lavi can sit at the same table as Sheryl now. Road pops in on the other exorcists almost as much as she does me, and… the Earl cares for everyone all the same. Wisely, it's _working."_

Wisely smiled, a little like he was humoring Allen, but certainly almost as pleased. "Yes, I suppose it is. Good to know that everyone's peacemaking attempts haven't come to nothing."

"Everyone's making an effort," Allen agreed, satisfied, and realized that in stark contrast to earlier, his cheeks almost hurt from smiling.

Wisely hummed, and then said, "Still, don't be afraid to take a moment to yourself if you need it. And I _will_ know if you need it. Even you can't hide your thoughts from me."

Allen's smile took on a rueful tint, just for a moment. "But I _can_ direct them," he threw back, but nodded anyway and bargained, "I will - when I can."

"When you can," Wisely acquiesced with a nod of his own, making to stand up, with the subtle implication that he was done here.

Allen relaxed and stood up with him, brushing off to avert his gaze a little. "You knew exactly what you wanted out of this encounter, didn't you?" he commented wryly.

"What can I say?" Wisely countered, throwing a smirk over his shoulder. "We share much the same skillset."

And Allen laughed, because he couldn't really argue with that.

* * *

 ***cough* Now, I don't know how much was actually _accomplished_ in this chapter, but, you know. Things were attempted. *grin* Thanks for reading, and please review!**

 **Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it before - nea-writes is also writing in this universe, under the series name Kingdom of Heathens, at least on AO3 and I believe here as well. The first story is 'Identical'.**


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